


Christmas in Kalos

by chiikausa



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Blue is stuck in a rut, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Headcanons about what Blue got up to in Kalos, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27830494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiikausa/pseuds/chiikausa
Summary: It’s Christmas in Kalos and there are couples everywhere, laughing and smiling and happy and fulfilled and together. But Blue is feeling lonely and burned out and like all of his running away has amounted to very, very little.
Relationships: Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red
Comments: 27
Kudos: 117





	Christmas in Kalos

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Christmas the 1st! I love the holidays, so I feel like I especially love writing about Christmastime. It's typically such a warm mood to set the stage with, but this time, well... Blue's going through it.
> 
> Hooray for my first Pokémon fic, though! I hope you all enjoy it.

The streets of Lumiose were bustling and decorated; lights shimmered delicately as dusk fell into twilight, bouncing off of garlands and shop windows and dancing in the eyes of every couple that passed by. It was cold, just cold enough that jackets and scarves weren’t enough, and the feeling of someone else’s arms around you was just the ticket to keep warm. Couples walked around in droves, admiring the special lights put up just for the season.

Blue stuffed his hands further into his pockets, shivering against the breeze. For what it was worth, Lumiose was a beautiful city, and living in the heart of Kalos had its perks. But on nights like this, when the wind caught between the gaps of the buildings, it chilled him right down to his bones. He stuffed his face further into his scarf, walking a bit faster to give the couple currently confessing under some mistletoe some space. Eevee paced restlessly beside him, her expression boring into him. He saw her worried doe-eyed stare. She knew he saw it, so she didn’t pester him more. But he didn’t acknowledge her, because he didn’t want to admit that her concern was warranted.

He swallowed thickly. The holidays were a lot lonelier than he remembered.

There was a warmth pressed against his leg, and he looked down to meet eyes with Eevee. She tilted her head. He’d stopped walking at a streetcorner without fully realizing it.

Blue sighed; he had to admit, she looked a little hungry. On one hand, he could go back home and feed her. On the other, he found he was standing next to a Pokémon cafe, and being anywhere was preferable to being alone in his flat. At least out, like this, he could distract himself.

So he slipped inside.

At least it was warm enough to take off his scarf inside the cafe. He tucked it into his bag, following Eevee to the counter. The boy behind it had short-cropped pink hair and a stern look on his face.

“What’ll it be?”

Blue squinted at the menu, looking away only because Eevee was insistently pawing at his pantleg. He quirked a brow at her, and she jumped up into his arms, gesturing to an elaborate Poké Puff tray for two with her tail. It was _expensive._ He narrowed his eyes at her only to be met with pleading ones. Gritting his teeth, he sighed.

“The holiday special tray for trainer and Pokémon, please.”

“Excellent. That will be 1500 Pokédollars.”

Glaring right in Eevee’s smug face, he handed over the cash. _It’s not like I have anyone else to spend it on, anyway._

“Take a seat, we’ll bring it to you shortly.”

He picked a more secluded spot, since there were couples abound in here, as well, but he stuck close to the window so that he (and Eevee) could still people-watch. She’d insisted on walking around with him when he’d suddenly started gathering his things earlier in the evening, and he didn’t have the energy to deny her. His research had been going a whopping _nowhere_ these last few months, and with everyone in the lab heading home for winter break it left very little for Blue to do. He couldn’t even challenge the newbie techs and interns to a battle.

The gentle scrape of metal on wood broke him free of his thoughts. A different server smiled shakily at him, as though he was about to split in two from nervousness. “Y-your holiday special, sir!”

Blue nodded, offering a grin. “Thanks.”

At least it looked worth the price. Ornate plates were stacked in two tiers, the bottom with three assorted Poké Puffs and the top with a tea cake, sandwich, and cream puff. The server also brought out a cup of water for Eevee and a latte for him, with foam art that looked like Eevee. He’d noticed a separate “tea for two” option, which he could only assume was what half the cafe was indulging in with their partners.

Something heavy tugged at his heart. He ignored it, popping the sandwich into his mouth and staring out the window.

They ate in silence, for a while, and Blue watched all sorts of people pass by the window, all bundled up. Some held heavy-looking shopping bags with gifts, others held hands. Blue’s stomach turned, but not in disgust. Eevee gave him a curious look, and he shoved the thought down, reaching into his pocket and taking out his phone.

He had four unread texts.

**_(555)-6257: Merry Christmas, Blue! I hope your research is coming along. Professor Sycamore says you have a bright future ahead of you, so keep working hard._ **

**_Daisy: Blue! When are you coming home? Everyone misses you, y’know? I want to hear all about the fun you’ve been having in Kalos!_ **

**_Daisy: Bring me a cute Pokémon for Christmas! ;) Just kidding. Give me a call soon, OK?_ **

**_Kanto Gym Leaders (group): Merry Christmas everyone! Remember to clean out your storage areas and desks before leaving for the holidays._ **

Blue swiped and dismissed the group chat. He left Gramps on Read: talking about his research and “bright future” were absolutely last on discussions he wanted to have, least of all with him. He decided he’d reply to Daisy later, because this was at least the third consecutive text she’d send that he’d ignored and he probably couldn’t claim to be up to his eyeballs in work that much longer. Absently, his thumb hovered over another text conversation, and he clicked into it without thinking the rest of the way.

The last message he’d sent was a photo of a Houndoom, mid-mega evolution in the lab. The colors surrounding it were striking, and it made Blue glad he’d caved when Sycamore offered to upgrade everyone’s phones to the latest model.

The reply was short and simple: **looks neat. like to see it in person.**

Eevee pawed at the device, knocking it from his hand and onto the table, and he shot a glare at her. She glared back, pushing the tray toward him. Her plate was empty, but the sweets for him rested untouched, like his latte.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” He huffed, sipping his coffee and nibbling at the pastries. “I’ll eat.”

Eevee nudged his phone back toward him, tilting her head.

“I’m not messaging him,” Blue asserted. “He’s gotta be swamped.”

She blinked at him. He sighed.

“No. He’s not waiting for me to message him, or anything. It’s been a few weeks.”

Another blink.

“Don’t _look_ at me like that!”

That had earned him a few stares from the cafe patrons, and Blue huffed, gathering his things and taking off. He wasn’t sure he could stomach the rest of the sweets, anyway.

The streets were darker and colder when he emerged, and he quickly pulled his jacket and scarf back on. The wind nipped harder at his nose and cheeks, and he pushed back a shiver that tugged at his spine. No matter what, though, he wanted to avoid going back to his flat. Going to his flat meant staring for hours at piles of books and research notes and a half-written paper on mega evolutions that was going absolutely nowhere. It meant having to clean off the lab supplies for his take-home tests and samples of stones to make room for _more_ tests set to determine the composition of the rocks used to mega evolve a Pokémon. He should have taken the time off, to go home, like Sycamore told everyone to do.

But going _home_ meant giving up on everything he’d built abroad.

He shook his head free of the thought. There was _no way_ he was going back to Kanto empty-handed. Not without…something. What was it he was looking for, really? To become stronger? Better? Was his research with Sycamore even _helping_ with any of that, or was it all going to amount to nothing? He didn’t have time to waste, time to _fail._ There was only so much time to see the world and all the different Pokémon in it. Who knew what other discoveries were yet to be made? No way was Blue going to let all of that opportunity pass him by.

His pacing landed him in one of Lumiose’s many plazas. Sitting on a bench, he tapped his foot irritably. He’d ended up close to his flat, near the south Pokémon Center. It was like a beacon for him when he’d gotten lost his first few weeks in the city. Even when other businesses closed their doors and shut their lights for the night, the Pokémon Center remained open, a haven for trainers and Pokémon alike. Especially now, Blue noted. To reduce light pollution, Lumiose shut off most of its Christmas décor in the latest hours of the night, and the lifeless bulbs emitted their own eerie energy.

Blue shivered. Eevee whined next to him, jumping up on the bench to headbutt his elbow. He pet between her ears.

“Are you cold? Do you want to return to your ball?”

Resolutely, she shook her head, but her body betrayed her actions and she shuddered when the wind picked up around them. Blue shook his head, removing his scarf and giving it to her instead.

“Stubborn.”

She leveled him with an unimpressed stare.

“What is that look for? If you catch a cold, it’s because you didn’t get back in your Poke Ball. And it’s not that I don’t think it’s late, I just...” He crossed his arms. _I really, really don’t want to go home._ Nobody was waiting for him, anyway. He hadn’t even put up a tree; he was too busy. Part of him wanted to believe that his Pokémon didn’t resent him for it somehow, but he couldn’t help feeling like he’d even been neglecting them more than usual. He sniffed, pulling his jacket tighter around himself. His eyes stung, but he swore it was from the intensity of the wind. When he locked eyes with Eevee again, he threw in the towel. She looked _miserable,_ and there was no reason to keep avoiding the inevitable if it meant she was _actually_ going to come down with something.

“Fine. Fine, let’s go. Come on.”

Eevee’s relief was palpable, and from there every minute felt like an hour, especially once they arrived back at his flat and Blue’s keys got tangled up in his lanyard. Swearing, he jammed it in the door and turned it, but it was already unlocked, giving way far easier than usual.

Blue’s blood ran cold.

_It’s already unlocked?_

He swallowed, panic shooting down his spine like a misfired Psychic attack. _Should I open it? Should I call the police?_ Running his hands through his hair, he tossed reason to the wind and shakily pushed the door open. _If someone attacks me, I’m a highly skilled Pokémon trainer. Kanto’s best. This will be fine._

Blue wasn’t entirely sure if someone had called out to him or not, the only sound he could process being the thrum of his heartbeat in his ears. Eevee was on edge, as well, crouching low to the floor with her tail straight up. Nobody was in the entryway, so carefully, he walked around the corner, absently fiddling with the necklace Daisy made for him.

In the living room stood a silhouetted figure, and all of the air in Blue’s chest got jammed up in his throat. He scrambled for a light, shouting: “Wh-who’s there!?” 

Not the most menacing, considering his voice cracked and sent him into a coughing fit. The figure was moving closer to him, and Blue raised his hands in defense.

“Are you always home this late?”

As quickly as his blood had run cold, it heated back up and rushed to his cheeks. _That voice..._ peeking around his arms he noted the all-too-familiar hat on the head of the so-called mysterious, looming figure. Blue stood bolt upright, jaw hanging open before his voice decided to work again.

“What? Red? _What?_ How are you here? In my flat?”

“Professor Oak told me where you live.”

“How did you get here? _When_ did you get here?”

“I flew, took a train, and then walked. I arrived around noon.”

He curled and uncurled his hands into fists, settling for running them both through his hair in sheer disbelief. “ _Why_ didn’t you _tell me?”_

Red had the gall to look _sheepish._ “I thought it would be a surprise.”

Unbelievable. This was unbelievable. He didn’t know if he should laugh, or cry, or punch him, or hug him, or turn around and leave his Pokémon behind with Red and go sleep on the bench in the plaza. He’d open his mouth to say something, then sigh and close it only to open it a moment later and repeat the process.

“Are you okay?”

“What kind of question is that!?” Blue shot back, anger taking over. “I thought I was getting _robbed._ Or that I’d be attacked! But instead, it’s you, standing in my living room. What about your family? Why aren’t you spending Christmas with your mom?”

Red tilted his head. "Couldn't I ask you the same thing?"

"That's not the point, just answer me."

"I was in Kanto yesterday."

"So you flew _overnight._ "

"Yes?"

"On _Christmas."_

"Christmas Eve, at first, but it was morning when I landed."

"And you _broke_ _into_ my flat?"

"You have a spare key."

"Yes, with _Professor Sycamore._ Don't tell me he gave it to you?"

Red's blank stare spoke volumes. Of course he did. Of course Red could just ask a foreign Pokémon professor for the spare key to his flat and he'd get it, no questions asked. Because he's the _famous_ Red, the legendary trainer who _saved_ Kanto from the crime ring led by Giovanni, the Kanto Pokémon League Champion, the _hero._ So well known that people only need to see his _hat_ just to know who he is.

Blue wanted to scream. But he didn't. He pinched the bridge of his nose and he sighed heavily.

"Why come all this way to see me, then, after so long?" He asked miserably.

At that, Red was silent for a few moments. He leaned on simple answers a lot of the time, and Blue knew he didn't like to talk much, but he could at least respect that Red took his time to figure out the right thing to say. Even if it meant Blue had to force himself to be patient.

It felt like _hours._

Finally, though, Red leveled him with an intense, knowing stare. "You ran off without telling anyone, and you haven’t been home in a long time.”

Blue clenched and unclenched his jaw. That felt oddly cryptic. “What do you mean by that? You did the same thing!”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

He scoffed. “Does it really matter, at this point? They all still hate me for leaving, anyway!”

Red pursed his lips, sighing. Blue tapped his foot.

“What they think shouldn’t matter. What matters is that _you’re_ okay.”

Suddenly, his chest felt tight. He heaved a sigh, trying to push it out of him, but it just made his lungs burn. He sat on the arm of his couch and crossed his arms, indignant. Eevee jumped up to paw at his thigh.

“I’m fine.” Red’s eyes were boring holes into his skull, and his face heated. He matched Red’s gaze with a glare. “Stop staring at me like I’m so pitiable. I’m _fine.”_

“You won’t message your sister.”

“She’s not my keeper.”

“Professor Sycamore said you’ve been distant.”

“There’s a difference between distant and _busy._ I have research I’m working on. He’ll live.”

“You avoided coming home.”

“I was...out. Training.” He irritably tapped his foot again. “What are you even trying to prove!?”

“Look at Eevee.”

Rolling his eyes, he obliged. Instantly, he regretted it: she was worriedly tugging on the hem of his shirt, looking between him and Red as if asking Red to fix something.

Again, he sighed, this time in defeat. He pet between Eevee's ears.

"I just don't know if this is working for me," he admitted. "Any of this. And going home... feels like giving up."

Red was quiet for a while, again. Blue scooped Eevee into his arms and slid into the seat of the chair, releasing her to curl up on his stomach as he leaned back. She nuzzled his cheek and opted to drape herself over one of his shoulders instead. He smiled softly at that, running his fingers through the scruff on her neck.

"You don't have to go back to Kanto," Red said, finally. "But, your research...what was it?"

"A phenomenon where Pokémon undergo a temporary evolution in response to a stone. They're rare, seemingly exclusive to this region, and not all Pokémon are compatible with the process."

"What are they calling it?"

"Mega-evolution. Why are you asking? Do you want to help?"

Red was silent, but he nodded.

Blue set his jaw, then relaxed, huffing a sigh. Did he even want Red's help? What good would that do for him? He'd have to get clearance from Sycamore (which wouldn't be an issue because _of course it wouldn't_ ), he'd have to explain all the research he'd done so far to get Red on the same page, which was an immense amount of effort, and Red probably had nowhere to stay, so he’d have to stay _here,_ in _Blue’s flat,_ with all of his Pokémon that got up early every morning for rigorous training, and he’d probably bug Blue to get up and train with him, and he would (because _of course he would_ ), and it would make him feel like he had a semblance of a schedule, and...and…

And the idea of good, honest company...wasn’t all that bad.

He rubbed his face. Then he rubbed it again. Eevee whined.

“Fine.” He said that word too many times tonight. He sat up, too suddenly for Eevee’s liking, and stared intensely at Red. “You can stay here. You can help.” He swallowed – why was his chest so _tight?_ He rubbed his face again. “But you _have_ to go home before New Year’s. You have to spend it with your family. Deal?”

Red was quiet, and Blue’s patience had run dry.

“ _Promise me,_ Red.”

Another beat of silence. “Only if you come, too.”

“Home? With you? What? Wait, no! _No!_ You broke into my flat, Red. You don’t get to have a condition.”

Red’s expression shifted a little at that. “Then, alright. It’s a deal.”

But he wasn’t done talking. Blue knew Red well enough by now to know that look on his face. It was pensive, his brow slightly furrowed. He wanted to say something else. So, Blue waited.

When Red looked back at him, he looked...almost upset. “Your flat’s not decorated.”

He could almost feel the wind get knocked out of him. _Absolutely never what I thought he was going to say next._ But, then again, when could he ever tell where Red’s mind was at? He frowned, scratching the back of his head. “N-no, it’s not. Sorry. I know it’s Christmas.”

“I’ll help with that, too.”

“Why would we decorate today? We’d just have to take it all down again.”

“We can leave it up.”

"But it'll take all day to—you know what, forget it, we'll do it tomorrow, okay? It's—it's _late,_ and you should sleep, _I_ should sleep, just...let's just go to bed. Okay? You can have my bed." Blue was already walking toward his room – locking his front door as he passed it – Red following slowly after. Somehow today had turned into the longest day in history, the longest Christmas Eve blending into what would be the longest Christmas Day. Would he survive?

He flung the door to his bedroom open and gestured unceremoniously. "There it is. Make yourself comfortable."

"What about you?"

"I have a couch. Or the chair."

Red looked _infuriatingly_ puzzled. "We could both fit here, though."

Blue ran his hands down his heat-flushed face. 

No. 

No, he would not survive.

❧

The next morning came all too quickly. Blue turned over to snooze his alarm, flipping back to find the bed cold, and empty.

_Empty? Was last night a dream?_

He sat up, looking for anything, _anything_ at all that could prove to him that Red was in his flat, with Pikachu, waiting for Blue to come home. But there was no hat, no bag, no Pokeballs, no rogue clothes, no Pikachu. Just Eevee, snoozing at the foot of the bed. His heart sank into his stomach. Blue rubbed his face with his hands and groaned. _How far gone am I that I’m hallucinating whole conversations…? Ugh._ He pulled himself up and out of bed, going through the motions. Shower, brushing his teeth, drying his hair, styling his hair, getting dressed, and making some breakfast.

When he walked out to his living room, it was fully decorated—well, to the extent that it could be, considering Blue’s lack of Christmas decorations to begin with. There were lights in the windows, pine garland draped on the counter from the kitchen, and his small tree was decked out in every orb imaginable: even his Pokeballs were tucked gently between the branches. He even spotted a couple of presents resting under the tree, wrapping paper shimmering from the twinkling lights.

Blue didn't believe in Santa. But _he_ didn't have time to decorate himself. _Maybe I wasn't dreaming…?_

He shook his head. Maybe Sycamore snuck in. He could be eccentric at times, so Blue wouldn't have put it past him to pull a stunt like this. It didn’t matter, anyway – Blue continued to the kitchen to make some breakfast for himself and his Pokémon. It was the least he could do, considering he’d be so wrapped up in research the rest of the day. _I spent so much of last night just...wandering. I need to make up for that today._

He mixed two batters: one for pancakes, one for Poké Puffs. He piped the puffs onto a pan and put them in the oven, then started making the pancakes while they baked. He still had to mix together the filling for the Poké Puff pastries and fill them before taking out all his Pokémon and having their Christmas feast. Of course, the puffs were done before he was through with the pancakes. He took them out and set them on the counter opposite the stove to cool before turning back to his stack of pancakes. While the last one was cooking, he started whipping together the ingredients for the vanilla cream. The door opened, then closed. Blue started the mixer, shifting back to flip his pancakes, completely in the zone.

Pancakes done, he turned back to the whipped filling, tasting it to make sure it wasn’t _too_ sweet. Too much sugar this early in the morning would make Alakazaam sick, Tauros restless, and turn Eevee into a _living nightmare._ So, he had to be careful. Gently, he filled a bag with the cream and started filling the choux pastries. They’d come out well enough – some of them were a bit too thick, so he couldn’t tell how well he’d filled them, but he was just focused on the piping. He had his whole main team to feed, and they knew it was a holiday. He wouldn’t get away with skimping on the filling of this delicacy. They’d _know._

Red walked up, towel around his waist from the shower. He plucked a pastry from the tray. “Mmm, tastes good.”

“Thanks.”

…

_What?!_

Blue squeezed the pastry bag tight and filling spilled all over the counter next to his pastries. _Damn it._

“Are you okay?”

Clearly, last night had not been a fever dream. Though with Red standing in his kitchen in just a towel, Blue was not _entirely_ sure he’d ever woken up.

Huffing out a sigh and turning his face away, he dutifully scooped up the remaining pastry filling and slowly fed it into some of the puffs. He couldn’t put it back in the bag to pipe neatly, so he had to cut some of the puffs open before filling them in, which looked a bit sloppy. But...maybe his Pokémon would take it easy on him. It was Christmas, after all.

“I’m fine. What are you doing, anyway? G-get dressed!”

“Oh. Sure.” Red scanned the kitchen before disappearing. Blue filled the rest of the pastries before he returned. When he did, he sat at the counter, staring at Blue doing the dishes. “Do you always make breakfast like this?”

Still, Blue hid his face. He still felt warm, and the last thing he wanted was for Red to see him like this. “Just on holidays,” he explained. “Too many Poké Puffs and they’ll have to work harder to stay fit. Help yourself to some pancakes, if you want. I made too many.”

“Thanks.” Red busied himself with that, blessedly leaving Blue with a few moments to collect himself. _So he’s still here. He probably got up early to train. Does that mean he’s responsible for last night, too?_

When Blue looked up to ask, he found himself face-to-face with Pikachu, instead. She tilted her head at him, and he frowned at her.

“I know that look. You want a Puff, don’t you.”

She tilted her head the other way. “Pika?”

“Ugh. Yeah, yeah, _Pika-pi,”_ He grumbled, grabbing a medium-sized Puff off the tray and tossing it to her. “Merry Christmas, Pikachu.”

Pikachu looked _entirely_ too happy with herself, scampering off to eat the pastry in peace. Blue sighed, plating a few pancakes and sitting in his living room to eat, surrounded by Christmas lights. Red turned, grabbing his own plate and moving to sit across from him, instead of at the barstool.

Blue let himself eat a few bites first before asking, “Did you do all this decorating last night?”

Mouth full, Red nodded.

“I thought I was hallucinating when I woke up this morning. Why’d you do it?”

Mouth _still_ full, Red replied, “We said we’d decorate today, but you thought it’d take too long. So I did some to save time.”

Blue...didn’t really know what to say to that. It almost made him feel bad for complaining. Which made him _kind of mad,_ because if Red didn’t break into his flat, he wouldn’t have decorated in the first place. While that might’ve made him feel _worse,_ at least _Red_ wasn’t involved.

“Did you not...want me to? I’m sorry.”

He met Red’s eyes, furrowing his brow before realizing he was death-gripping his fork. Relaxing his fingers, he let the utensil fall to his plate with a _clank._ He pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, that’s not it. I’m just – it’s just me. _I’m_ sorry. Don’t worry about it, it actually...it looks really nice.”

“Thanks.” Red was smiling. Blue’s heart skipped. “Does that mean you want to leave it up?”

He stood abruptly, taking Red’s empty plate and heading back to the kitchen. 

“Yes.”

❧

Not all of Blue’s Pokémon were so forgiving about the misshapen Puffs, but they were grateful enough to at least eat them all. He happened to have enough leftover to feed a few to Red’s Pokémon, who seemed to appreciate the homemade treat even more. Whether that was because they were unused to such delicacies from a trainer like Red, or they just had an affinity for homemade treats, Blue didn’t know.

But he couldn’t say he didn’t like the extra appreciation.

“You didn’t have to treat my Pokémon, too,” Red had said when he came back inside.

“I didn’t want them to be jealous of Pikachu.”

“That confident in your baking, are you?”

“Actually, yes,” He smirked. “Moving to Kalos really challenged me to up my baking skills. Mostly so I could save money, because Eevee really likes the cafes around here. And besides, even you said they were yummy.”

“Right.” Red smiled again, doing things to Blue’s heart that he’d really have to start figuring out like _now._ “So, what now?”

“Well, you left presents, didn’t you?”

“No, I think it was a Delibird, actually.”

Blue gave Red a blank stare. He didn’t last long, though, not when all Red had to offer back was a cheeky grin. Blue snickered, unable to hold himself together as he laughed, Red following suit. They devolved together to tear-filled, reckless laughter, and Blue’s sides hurt by the time they were back inside sitting by the tree. 

He sighed, staring at the presents: two boxes wrapped neatly in red wrapping paper with blue ribbon. Plucking one from the group, he turned it over in his hands.

“You know,” He scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t know if I can accept something like this, Red. I mean – I didn’t get _you_ anything.”

“You haven’t opened it yet.”

“Yeah, but it’s the – it’s the _principle_ of the matter, it’s not fair to you!”

“I don't think so. You gave my Pokémon the Poké Puffs; that’s present enough, don’t you think?”

“Well, obviously not, or we wouldn’t be _having_ this conversation.”

Red chuckled, adjusting his cap. “Just open it.”

“Sure, sure.” He clearly couldn’t argue further, so he just ripped the wrapping paper on the box instead, revealing a long stick with frilly pink baubles on the end of it. Instantly, Eevee bounded over and started to bat at the end of it. Blue smiled, indulging her with a few waves of the toy before giving Red a snide look. “You _sure_ this was a gift for me?”

“The tag on it said it was for Eevee.”

“What?!” Dropping the toy, he examined the discarded paper and, predictably, Red was right. He rubbed his face. “Of course. Sorry, Eevee.”

“I promise the other one is yours.” 

He heard the smile on Red’s face before he saw it. Again, Blue felt that squeezing sensation in his chest. He promptly distracted himself by opening the other present, asking, “How did you learn to wrap this nicely, anyway?”

“Pikachu helped.”

The second present _was_ for him, and he had to resist the urge to gasp out loud as he tore the paper: it was a new sling backpack, primed with tons of pockets and space for all his Pokeballs to strap right to the front. The material was sturdy, and the pockets were big enough for all manner of items. His old one, which had been sitting in his bedroom, was practically falling apart at the seams. After all, he’d been using the same one since his first Pokémon adventure when he was _10._ That backpack had seen his best and his worst, but something about holding this new one sparked an inspiration to adventure again that he hadn’t felt since…

Well, since running away to Kalos in the first place.

“I-is it bad? You’re crying.”

He was? He touched his cheek, huffing out a laugh. He was. “I’m just… It’s a really thoughtful gift. I… thanks, Red. Can you give me a minute?”

Red nodded, and Blue gathered the wrapping paper and tossed it before retreating to his bedroom. He started organizing the stuff from his old bag into his new one, sitting on his bed and sighing. _What is he trying to tell me, with a gift like this?_ He carefully organized his field notes and Pokeballs into the new bag. _Do I want it to mean something?_

It would be nice if it did. With his research in Kalos teetering scarily close to dried up, Blue felt a flighty need to escape building beneath his feet. He gripped his old bag, closing his eyes. _I don’t want to walk away from here a failure._ He shoved it under the bed, for now – it held too many memories for him to just… toss. _I just need to finish my field research first. Red wanted to help, so I guess I should put him to work._

Slinging his new bag over his shoulder, he went back to the living room. He cocked his hip, smirking. “Wanna see a Pokémon Mega-evolve in the wild?”

Red looked up from where he sat, playing with Pikachu and Eevee. “Right now?”

“Right now. Gotta break in this new bag you got me, after all. Don’t tell me you’d really rather stay inside?” Framing it like a challenge sparked something in Blue’s chest, a fierce competitiveness he didn’t even know he’d been longing for. He supposed that was just what Red did to him.

“No,” Red stood, his own eyes lighting up with excitement. “I want to see them. Let’s go.”

Blue smiled back, his heart blazing with a victorious feeling wrapped around something far, far more fond.

With Red around, the rest of his research project went swimmingly. Before the break, Professor Sycamore had been insistent that Blue take time off to relax. As it turned out, what he really needed was someone who shared his excitement and curiosity for Pokémon – and ever since they were kids, Red always had a _million_ questions. Sure, he was quiet, so he rarely spoke them aloud, but you could always see the way his curiosities pressed his brows together. Professor Oak was keen on it, and happily explained every last detail about whatever Pokémon or research theory he was thinking about until Red was satisfied.

Since it was just the two of them, and most of the fields were devoid of tourists and families thanks to the cold weather keeping everyone indoors, Red actually started wondering most of his questions out loud.

“Does it hurt them?”

“We don’t think so,” Blue answered, writing down the resting heart rate of the Houndoom they’d been studying. “Mega-evolution heightens their senses and raises their adrenaline levels, which is where the bulk of the power boost comes from. But the current theory is that because Pokémon are so used to rapid evolution in the first place, the extra bust just excites them.” He pat the Houndoom’s head, watching as it ran a lap around the clearing in the woods they were researching in. It dug down in the snow and rolled on its back, calling out happily. “I mean, just look at Houndoom.”

Red hummed. “So the stone pair helps them stay in this mega-evolved stasis?”

“Mm-hm. But they’ll revert to their normal status if they faint.”

“Their stone responds to their physical state that way?”

Blue nodded. “It’s sort of a de-evolution. But we’ve studied that, too, and it doesn’t seem to hurt them beyond the effects of whatever caused them to faint.”

Red watched the Houndoom playing around, careful contemplation on his face. Then, he turned to Blue. “So, what are you stuck with? In your research.”

Blue sighed. “It’s been difficult to determine what causes their state to grow to Mega-evolution in the first place. That, and not every Pokémon can do it.” He rubbed his face. “So I’ve been trying to figure out why some can and others can’t, but there isn’t a pattern aside from there being at least one of each type. Sycamore asked me to focus on the _why_ of Mega-evolution, anyway, but…” Blue groaned. “I don’t know. He suspects it can only happen when there’s a strong bond between a Pokémon and their trainer, but...I just don’t think so.”

Red looked back at the Houndoom again, and it was quiet save for the sound of its paws crunching against the snow. “How long have you been studying this Houndoom?”

“This guy?” Blue sat, gesturing to it. As if it heard Blue talking about it, the Houndoom barked, bounding over. Absentmindedly, Blue pet its head and ran his hand over its horns. “This Houndoom was one of the first Pokémon that Sycamore found when I started researching here, so...yeesh, uh, at least a year?”

“Did I Mega-evolve for you then?”

“What? Well, no, of course not. We had the Houndoominite, but it…” Blue stopped, looking closely at the Houndoom. It looked back, tilting its head. Then, it ran off, bringing back a (frankly _massive)_ branch and placing it in front of Blue. He blinked at it, looking back at the Houndoom’s eyes – questioning, almost like asking if it had done the right thing.

Blue laughed, shaking his head and picking up the stick to hurl it into the woods, as far as he could. And he laughed, and kept laughing, pulling up his knees and putting his head between them. He laughed so much that Red and Pikachu were looking at him like he'd gone insane.

"Why is it _always_ you?" Blue asked, not really sure if he wanted an answer.

But, of _course,_ Red was going to try and understand anyway. "What do you mean?"

"You always...you always have the answer. The one that's sitting in front of my face that I don't notice for months and months."

"That you bond with Pokémon?"

_"Yes,"_ Blue said emphatically, raising his head to give Red an exasperated look. "Listen, it's— _you_ were always the one with the near-telepathic link to his Pokémon when we were kids. And I...I _know_ it's important to bond with your Pokémon, and I tried, but I never felt like I _got it._ You know? Even this Houndoom…I never realized we'd gotten so close."

The Houndoom bounded back over, excitedly dropping the branch at Blue's feet and expectantly wagging its tail. Blue smiled, petting him and tossing the stick again. "The key stone...when you Mega-evolve a Pokémon, that's what you need. And as a trainer, it feels exciting to wear it. To see the Pokémon thrive off all this adrenaline and energy. To think it's actually a _synergy..._ that's going to open a lot of doors for Mega-evolution. Who knows what variants are left to be discovered? Like, what if adding another energy element makes the Pokémon _supersized?_ Would its appearance change again?" Blue fell back into the snow and stared up at the sky: even overcast like this, he felt _renewed._ ****

When he looked over at Red again, Red was smiling. "What?" He asked.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Red said.

"Who said I was feeling bad?"

"You didn't have to say anything."

Oh, that...that tugged at Blue's heart. It pulled at the same wave of fondness he felt when Red agreed to come research out in the cold. Still, his heart must’ve stumbled past fondness and into a _fire,_ igniting a defense. “Since when have you been paying attention, huh?”

Red, at least, had the decency to look a little guilty at that. “I’ve known you for a long time, Blue.”

“S-so? I’ve known you for a long time, but I don’t go seeking you out and reading your heart like an open book!”

Tucking his gaze behind his hat, Red muttered. “What about Mount Silver?”

“Wh-what _about_ it?! Y-your mom was worried sick, that’s all!” He crossed his arms over his knees, resting his chin on the nest he’d created to hide the flush on his cheeks, frowning down at the snow. “It was really hard to find you, you know. My Pokémon were exhausted.”

“I know. But, that’s not what I mean.” Red said. He sighed, shifting to sit in the snow across from Blue. “You understood. You didn’t force me back down right away. You stayed for a while.”

“Until you were ready, yeah,” Blue mumbled into his sleeves. “There’d be no point if you were too anxious, then you’d just go right back up again. I had to make sure you were okay.”

Red’s feet shifted in the snow a little. _Is he nervous?_ “That’s why I’m doing this, you know.”

“This?” Blue re-arranged his chin’s position on his arms to quirk a brow at Red. “Coming to Lumoise?”

Red nodded. “I wanted to make sure _you_ were okay. Professor Oak and Daisy are worried about you, too. You stopped responding to their messages.”

Blue scoffed. “I would’ve answered them eventually.”

“Maybe,” Red admitted. “But...I thought, maybe you were doing what I was doing. On Mount Silver.”

He set his jaw. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. “Which was…?”

Red swallowed, and he looked guilty all over again. “Running away.”

“Maybe,” Blue said, after a while. “I think I was just tired. And the research was going nowhere, at the time, so it felt like…” 

He paused, trying to find the right words. Red, as ever, was patient, sitting and staring at him, almost _encouraging_ him to keep going. His cheeks went warm again.

“Like I wasted everyone’s time. I wanted to get away _again,_ but I didn’t want to abandon Sycamore. ‘Cause then it’d feel just like the gym, and that...that sucks, you know?” He shifted, sitting cross-legged and leaning his cheek on his palm, staring out at the woods and watching Houndoom play. “I wanted to do it on my own. This facility was ahead of the others on researching this new type of evolution, and it was so exciting, I _hated_ being stuck. But I guess you had to come help in the end, anyway, didn’t you?”

He moved his eyes to stare at Red, who just shrugged. “You still did all the work yourself. I didn’t do anything.”

“Come _on,”_ Blue said. “You showed me the answer! And I’ve got a _ton_ more theories for the paper now. I could _kiss_ you for helping me out of this rut.”

Whoops.

Blue laughed, nerves tickling his throat as he leaned back into the snow and rubbed the back of his neck. “I—I mean, y’know, figuratively, right? I-I-I wouldn’t actually do that to you, I just. You know. You know?”

Red’s cheeks were a little pink, and he frowned, confused, and shook his head. His silence spoke volumes—unfortunately, it was also an opening for Blue to keep talking.

“Listen, it’s just—it’s a Lumoisian figure of speech…? Sort of. Not really. It’s—it’s not like I’m trying to say you coming out here saved my whole Christmas, because you scared the _crap_ out of me at first, but I. Well, it was lonely, I guess, and there were couples all over the streets, so kissing was…on my mind? N-not that I’d kiss just anyone! If it had to be anyone, it would definitely just be you.”

That was worse. That was a lot worse. Blue rubbed his face, feeling how hot his cheeks were against his freezing fingers.

Once he wiped his hands down his face, he offered Red a weak smile. “Just…thanks for your help? And, sorry for…getting defensive, because you were right. I was feeling lousy. So. Yeah. Thanks.”

Red’s expression had calmed from confusion down to gentle curiosity. “Do you want to kiss me?”

“That’s not the point!”

“So, you do?”

“Yes! W-wait, no! _No!_ I don’t know! Maybe!” Blue moved to cover his face again, but Red caught his wrists.

Red wasn’t looking at him, though, instead off to the side, and Blue tried not to notice how cute his ears looked all pink like they were getting. “Would it help if...I said I wanted to kiss you, too?”

_What?_ Blue’s stomach tied itself in knots, and he’d swear his face was probably bright red right now. He couldn’t look at Red’s face at _all_ anymore – he forced himself to stare at the slowly diminishing space in the snow between their legs. “Wh-why would you want to do something like that?” He laughed, half self-depricating.

“Isn’t that what people do when they really like each other?”

“B-but we’re just—we’re friends! Rivals! Rival-friends! You—you know?”

Red scooted closer – Blue knew he did, because now their _knees were touching_ and it made his legs tingle and his chest ache and he could barely shove back a shiver before it wracked through him. Maybe he should’ve let it. Maybe that would mean Red would stop practically holding his hands (which were also starting to feel clammy) so they could get up, get Houndoom back to the lab, and go home, and pretend that _this_ part of the field research didn’t happen.

“Blue,” Red said, drawing his attention up.

_This was a mistake. He’s leaning really close._ Blue swallowed thickly around the growing lump in his throat. “Wh-what?”

“Can I kiss you?”

His breath caught, and Blue clamped his mouth back closed and tried to swallow the way his heart stuttered and tried to take flight at the thought. He searched Red’s face – was he being earnest? _Of course he is, he’s Red, his only setting is Earnest, but…_ Did _he_ really want this? It meant crossing the firm line in the sand he’d drawn years and years ago. Before this was even in the ballpark of possibility. Blue worried at his lip, slightly, and watched Red watch him, the picture of patience, and he wondered if Red was feeling even _a quarter_ as nervous as Blue probably looked to him.

Nervously – and uncharacteristically wordlessly – Blue nodded.

Smiling softly, Red scooted a little closer, dropping Blue’s wrists in favor of catching his cheeks in his hands to pull him closer, closer, closer.

Then, just like that, they kissed.

Before this, Blue had never kissed anyone, despite what the tabloids might have implied. So he wasn't...sure if he was reciprocating right. All he could really process was that Red's lips were a little chapped, but warm, and that his own heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest. Instinctively, he reached forward and grasped at Red's jacket for purchase – it would be embarrassing if he fell over into the snow, or something, right? Right. He tried to take breaths through his nose to calm down, but Red was gently massaging the back of his neck with his fingers and if he kept going Blue was going to _melt._

When Red pulled away, he couldn't stop the way he leaned after him, pressing their foreheads together and knocking Red's hat into the snow.

Blue chuckled. "Say, Red?"

"Hm?"

"I think I’d like to kiss you. Again. Sometime."

"Oh."

"Is that okay?"

"Y-yes."

_He sounds nervous._ "Are _you_ okay?"

"I'm a little surprised, I think. But I'm happy."

"Why?"

"I wasn't expecting to kiss you today."

_"Today?_ Were you planning to at some point later?"

Red didn't have the chance to answer, because Houndoom came back with the stick again. He looked a little tired, now, so Blue offered him a snack before sending him back to the loaner Pokéball from the lab and tucking it safely into his new backpack.

Blue stood, brushing the excess snow off his pants. He offered Red a hand.

"Let's head back?"

Red nodded, grabbing onto his hand to help himself up. He didn’t even try to brush the snow off him, so Blue whacked at his pants to dust him off. All the while, Red held his hand. They continued to hold hands the whole way back to Blue's flat, and for the first time in a long time, Blue didn’t feel quite so alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you've got the time or are feeling generous, feel free to leave a comment or kudos. And no matter what you celebrate this month, I hope you enjoy a happy and safe holiday season.


End file.
